When Love Takes Over
by Genetically Insane
Summary: AU-In a land of many kingdoms, a prince and princess meet. But their relationship must remain a secret. Espesially with the wedding of the princess and the prince's brother so soon. And what of her secret?-Gilbert/Genderbent!Matthew, Ludwig/G!Matthew
1. Once Upon a Time

_Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms. One was ruled by a very handsome man, born into the royal family and was blessed with many riches and beautiful women. The other was ruled by a man with large eyebrows, who fought for his power against his brothers, being the youngest of their large family. Both kingdoms were prosperous, regardless of the many battles between the two._

_One beautiful summer day, in the kingdom to the north, a young prince was born. The whole kingdom celebrated, happy that the next ruler to the throne was there and that he didn't share his father's famous trait. Everyone in the kingdom was happy._

_Until news reached them that their enemies, the kingdom to the east, had bore a prince only three days before their own._

_When the unfortunate news reached the king of the northern territories, he was consumed by jealousy and hatred. It was the night one his son's first month, when he snuck out of his castle and into the one of his rival. _

_With great haste, the northern king found the child. He lit the candle next to the crib, and looked at the offspring of the revolting man._

_His stomach dropped when he saw that the infant looked exactly like his own. The rage inside him pushed out the jealousy and he quickly went to work._

_When the preparations for his spell were complete, he kicked over a vase full of red lilies, resulting in a loud crash. This woke the child up from its light slumber and let out a loud scream, and the blonde man hurried to the side of the child's bed farthest from the door, and began his chant._

_As quickly as he began, once the chanting was complete. The markings on the floor glowed, and more light poured in when the door slammed open._

_The bearded man, the ruler of the eastern kingdom, saw the intruder and what was happening and let out a shout of wrath. "Vous démon! Ce qui vous a fait à fils?"_

_A maniacal laugh slipped from the shorter man's lips. "Your son will not die, frog," he spat. "But, all the same, you no longer have an heir to your soiled throne." His laugh became louder and more bone chilling as the marking and the light faded, and with one last spell, he disappeared from the Frenchman's presence._

_The Eastern king rushed to his child's side, the infant still crying and wiggling about. He carefully picked his precious child up, thankful for its cries. He bounced it in his arms, whispering soothing words into its fragile skin. Only when the baby went to sleep once more did the scared father look over it for what could have possibly been done._

_His search was short; as all he had to do was pull up the light bed gown the child wore to see the change. He fell to his knees, holding his only family to his chest and prayed to his labor-deceased wife that all will be well. He looked at his precious child, and swore that nothing changed to him. "Mattieu…" he shook his head, and quickly corrected himself. "Non… Madeline…" He knew his Jéanne would love that name. "Madeline, mon ange…"_

_Nothing has changed. No one will know. He no longer had a son. Instead, he held his daughter close and begged to his late-wife and to god himself that all will be well._

_Meanwhile, in the Western kingdom…_

_A new child was born as the frail young prince watched his little sister be born. He was excited and happy to no longer be alone in the lifeless castle. All of his seven years he was alone, as his Mutter and Vater would not let him play outside. They said he was different and fragile. His Mutter called him Ein Engel, but his Vater and Gro__ßvater__ called him Eine Leiche. He didn't know what that meant, but he knew it wasn't good, since his Mutter always yelled at them when they did._

_His thoughts were torn from him when a shrill scream filled the room, one much too high for his mutter. His red eyed gaze turned to the bed that was surrounded by doctors. Before the frail boy could get up from his stool, his father stormed into the room and rushed to the bed. He took one look at his wife, then followed a young maid who carried a blood stained bundle. "Was ist das kind?" he demanded harshly._

_The prince watched both as doctors where panicking around his mother, and as his little sister cried and screamed while the maid moved the cloth away from the wiggling baby._

_For the first time in years, the albino child saw his father smile. "Ein sohn!" he exclaimed proudly. "Eine starke sohn!" He reached for the child, but before he could hold it, his name was called by one of the doctors._

_The wide red eyes looked back at the doctors. They no longer panicked; they no longer worked around his mother. They stood solemnly, looking at the blood soaked labor bed without uttering another word._

_Vuter walked slowly to the bedside, and looked down at his wife. His smile was wiped off his face in an instant. The prince didn't dare move, too scared of what made everyone sad. He didn't want to know why his mutter wasn't moving._

"_Hat sie einen namen sagen?" the tall blonde haired man whispered. _

"_Ludwig," the youngest girl said, wiping a tear from her eye._

_Ludwig? Wasn't that a boy's name?_

_Within the next few hours, the death of the queen was announced, as well as the name of the new prince, and the new heir._

_No one was sure at this time if there would be any happy endings for the land of kingdoms._

* * *

Fourteen years passed, and the lands stayed much the same as before. But the young royals have changed so much.

* * *

"You blasted git! Who would have thought such an irresponsible prick came from MY loins?"

"Oh shut it, old man! I'm still young and full of life! Chill out will you?"

"Wha- Old man?"

"You heard me!"

* * *

"Madeline! Get down from there!"

"But papa, you never let me out of the castle grounds! I have to have fun sometimes.."

"But climbing trees? Mon dieu you're going to fall!"

"Don't worry papa, I'll be- AH!"

"Madeline!"

"That was close, eh?"

"Mon dieu- Get down from there this instant before you actually fall!"

* * *

"Gilbert!"

The pale haired young man turned his head from the window sill to the tall blonde man in the doorway. His hair was long and a permanent frown on his face, and his bright blue eyes seemed to pierce into Gilbert with loathing.

Gilbert almost sighed at the sight of the man. "Was ist los, Großvater?" he said as he stood.

"You are going to escort your brother to the eastern kingdom. It is about time he starts courting the princess there."

"_I'm the eldest, I'm the true heir.. I am the one who should be courting this princess."_ Gilbert thought, but he bit his tongue, and nodded in agreement, albeit hesitantly. His grandfather left the room just as quickly as he came in, leaving the albino alone once again.

As soon as the door closed, Gilbert picked up a glass candle holder and threw it at the door shattering it into countless pieces. "What if I had plans, you ass!" he shouted, his face becoming flushed at the shouting as the blood rushed to his cheeks. Of course he didn't have plans, but that is not the point. What if he planned on sneaking out tonight and getting cozy with the village whores? He did that from time to time, and the village woman loved him for it.

Gilbert sighed, turning his gaze back outside his window. He saw his bruder with one of the trainers, getting his small body transformed with the muscles of a true man. He was losing his childhood far too quickly. The kid was only 16 for crying out loud! He should be playing with the south-western prince, their closest allies and Ludwig's best friend, and enjoying life. Not getting run through a near impossible optical course and being a novice forced to duel swords against hired experts. Sure, Gilbert went through nearly the same thing, but due to his condition, they focused more on the swordplay, agility and flexibility and education, instead of sculpting him into the raw form of muscles and testosterone, being educated in war planning and military tactics rather than the language arts, mathematics and sciences.

The albino sighed, standing up from his seat on the window ledge and began putting on his outdoor clothes. It was a beautiful day, sun shining brightly and blue skies clear, thus he was forced to wear his long sleeved, light clothing, a white loose dress shirt and tight beige pants, fitting his legs perfectly and leaving no room for imagination. He pulled on his knee length black boots over the pants and the thick leather gloves over his hands. He was about to grab his hat, a black and red tinhorn, but decided against it, knowing he'd only be outside for a couple minutes.

He made his way through the castle, smiling at the maids that gave him longing glances. Oh yes, he knew he was sexy. And he could easily say all the young maids of the castle were not virgins. Kesesesesese.

He saw the open archway to the back courtyard and covered his eyes with his hand before walking out into the sun. He cringed still, the bright light hurting his sensitive eyes. After a couple moments, he put his hand down, flinching once again, but ignored the burning in his eyes and bit back the tears.

He followed the sounds of grunts and shouts of 'harsh encouragement' around the corner of one of the towers that now lay vacant. He sighed with relief when he walked into the shadows of the high walls, being able to comfortably look for his bruder.

It didn't take much to find him, and he walked over to the large obstacle course in which the tall 16 year old was now half way through, struggling up the 6 meter high wall. The old man shouted at the boy, calling him weak and a bug not fit to be the next king.

Nice guy, huh?

Gilbert silently stood just behind the old man, watching his bruder. His short blonde hair, which has been as of late been brushed back into a perfect slicked back look, was now coming apart with sweat and the light wind blowing through the court yard. He watched as the boy's hands slipped from the top of the wall and fell onto his back, letting out a strangled shout. This got him another… heartening shout.

"He's gotten farther than I ever had." Gilbert muttered into the old man's ear, who jumped and whirled around.

"Ah, Prinz Gilbert!" he said with excitement, clearly false and forced. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside?"

The albino just shrugged. "I'm here to talk to my bruder…" he narrowed his eyes at the man, who took a nervous step back. "Is that a problem?"

"N-Nein!" he stuttered. "Th-the boy needs a break-"

"Nein," another step back. "I will take care of his training for now. One more run through and then I'll take him in to work on his swordplay. No objections, I trust?"

The man nodded with understanding. He bowed his head and made his way back into the castle. Gilbert looked over at his brother, who just lay in the dirt. Smiling to himself, the elder prince made his way over to the blonde.

Gilbert leaned over his brother, seeing those bright blue eyes widen in shock. "Hallo," he greeted, extending his gloved hand out. "Hattest du einen schönen schlaf?"

Ludwig beamed, showing his rare childish smile. He grabbed his brother's hand and allowed himself he be pulled up. "Hallo, bruder!" the shorter boy chimed. His eyes widened as is a match was lit in his head. His smile faded and his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Bruder, shouldn't you be inside? It's really bright out!"

Gilbert laughed at his brother's concern. He ruffled his smaller brother's hair, giving him a wide grin. "Don't worry, I'm too awesome to get horribly burnt." He said proudly. Ludwig just laughed at his arrogance, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

"So what are you doing out here?" He asked, looking at the pale young man with a curious expression.

"Well," Slapping his hand on Ludwig's back, his grin shifted slightly, going from confident to menacing in such a small of his muscles. The blonde couldn't help but shiver when those familiar red eyes looked down at him. "I was thinking on taking over your sword training for the day…"

Ludwig paled, knowing full well how good his brother was and how merciless he acted.

"I might go easy on you," a quiet sigh of relief came from the boy, but the paleness returned once the older prince continued. "Only if you finish the obstacle course before me."

"What?"

"You heard me."

And so, the two brothers line up at the start of the course. The finished up their stretches and got themselves ready while a maid, who they called over, raised her hand up. "Ready?" the two nodded. "Set?" They shifted their ready muscles, prepared to dart out when her hand went down. She waited, before shooting her hand down. "Start!"

Like a set of arrows, the two ran out through the course. Gilbert, his legs longer and his body lighter, was already two steps ahead when they got to the first challenge. He put his hands onto the aged wood and pulled himself over the hurdle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother stop at the hurdle and slowly climb up. Gilbert just grinned, landing on the ground and continuing, ducking under the next arch. Ludwig growled under his breath when he landed on the ground to see his brother going over the next hurdle.

He looked just in time to watch his brother's technique. Instead of stopping and using strength to pull himself over, he used his momentum from running to pull himself over. The blonde took note of this, ducking under the hurdle and copied the way his brother did it, succeeding his way over at the first attempt.

Gilbert got to the dirt patch with barbed wire only a foot above the ground. He growled, remembering how much he hated this part because of his lack of muscles. He dropped to the ground anyway, and pushed his way through, his shirt getting caught and cut on the wire. Ludwig was close behind him, now.

By the time the two were out from under the wire, the younger teen was ahead of his brother. He scrambled to his feet and ran towards the next obstacle, which made him stop.

Gilbert slowly got to his feet, swearing under his breath. He saw his brother stopped ahead of him and smirked. He began running again.

Ludwig jumped back when he saw his brother run into the wall. Well, not run into. A step before he got to it, he raised his leg to step _onto_ the wall, using both the momentum from running and the grip on his boots to get higher up the wall than if he simply jumped. He reached up while in the air and just barely managed to grab the ledge. He let out a short shout when his foot slipped off the wall, causing his body to call limply against the wall, pulling at his weak arms.

Ludwig couldn't help but watch his brother in admiration. The albino was always told he was weak, and that he would be worthless in the battle field because of his lack of physical strength that came alongside his condition. The blonde always known his brother as stubborn but submissive; at least in regards to their grandfather's harsh words. He would always excel when the sun wasn't shining down on his body, being renowned as being one of the smartest in the kingdom and the fastest with the sword in which he trained in the large rooms of the castle. But here he was, proving their elders wrong and pulling himself up the wall. Ludwig's heart swelled with pride.

"Oi! Stop starring, West!" the loud voice thrust him out of his thoughts. "Do what I did, and I'll help you the rest of the way."

Ludwig blinked, but nodded. He backed up, and ran towards the wall, mimicking his brother's actions.

He was only a couple inches from the top when a thick leather glove grabbed his wrist. With his brother's assistance, both princes perched in the top of the wall.

Gilbert smiled at the overjoyed expression on his little brother's face as he looked around. "Listen to me, West." The teen's attention was turned to the albino, whose heart was beating against his chest and his arms aching. "There's one thing those old farts never teach us through physical training, and they think to tell us until it's too late."

"What is it, east?"

Gilbert paused, looking over towards the village not far from their castle. "During battle, we aren't just fighting for the people back home, or for the people of our land." He looked down at his hands, which he was sure would be bothering him later after the sharp corners of the wall dug into his skin. "During battle, we aren't fighting for the survival of ourselves. We fight for the guys next to us. Our fellow soldiers." The blonde looked at him with wonder. "You gotta remember, out of the battle field, _Jadem Das Seine. _But when fighting, remember _Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit_."

Silence enveloped them, the light sun shining upon them while they sat upon the wall. Ludwig watched his bruder, his face sad and seemingly lost. If he didn't know his bruder any better, he would think the silverette would begin to cry.

Gilbert looked down the other side of the wall and pushed away his sadness, forcing a smile onto his face. "There's more of this course to go, West." By the time the words sunk in, the other had jumped from the wall and ran through the rest of the course. Shouting after his bruder, he followed suit.

Unbeknownst to them, during their whole race, narrowed light blue eyes watched them, a piercing hatred into the oblivious albino.

* * *

_**Translations:**_

"_**Vous démon! Ce qui vous a fait à fils?" – You demon! What did you do to my son?**_

_**mon ange – My Angel**_

_**Mutter, Vater, Gro**__**ßvater – Mother, Father, Grandfather**_

_**Ein Engel, Eine Leiche – An Angel, A Corpse**_

"_**Was ist das kind?" – What is the child?**_

"_**Eine starke sohn!"- A strong son!**_

"_**Hat sie einen namen sagen?" – Did she sat a name? (I think)**_

_**Mon dieu – My god**_

"_**Was ist los, Gro**__**ßvater**__**?" – What is it, grandfather?**_

"_**N-Nein!" – N-No!**_

"_**Hallo, Hattest du einen schönen schlaf?" – Hello, did you sleep well?**_

_**Jadem Das Seine – To Each his own. (This was the Motto of Prussia.)**_

_**Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit**__**. – Unity and Justice and Freedom (From the German National Anthem) **_

_**Please do correct any of the german/french used if it's wrong. I will not lie, I do use Google Translate.**_

**_Also, Alfred and Arthur do have a point in this story, not just in the begining._**


	2. A Secret

Gilbert couldn't help but laugh while he watched his bruder look out the carriage in wonder, his first time off the castle grounds. Wide blue eyes looked at the trees as they passes, and deer playing about on the edge of the road.

"Oi, West," the boy turned to his brother, sitting back down. "You're 16, not 6. Do you even know where we're going?"

Ludwig's ears turned red from his blush, straightening his back and making himself seem mature. He shook his head in response to the question.

"Seriously?" Gilbert sighed, smoothing out his dark blue tunic over his legs. "We are on our way to the Eastern Kingdom, for you and the King's daughter to meet."

"Why do I have to meet her?" Gilbert's face fell, the question catching him off guard.

"…So you can court her, of course."

"Huh?"

Dark leather came into contact with the pale skin of Gilbert's forehead. "Our dear grandfather wants you to get along with the maiden, so that when you two are older, you two will marry and a permanent bond will be formed between our two countries."

Ludwig's blush returned. "What? Why do I have to do this? I don't want to marry…" his voice trailed off, looking back to the nature outside the carriage. "…is she pretty?"

Gilbert shrugged, making himself comfortable. "I dunno," he said nonchalantly. He saw his bruder's shoulders drop and a frown form on his face. He sighed. "But I've heard she is very beautiful, some say she is like a goddess, the combined beauty of her late-mother and her father. I've met them, before you were born, and they were indeed beautiful." He paused to let out a low chuckle. "I remember I had a little crush on their queen, because she was so nice and pretty. I didn't like the king for it."

Ludwig laughed a little, but he shifted uncomfortably, intimidated by the rumors of the family's beauty. Gilbert noticed this, and brought up a completely different subject of conversation.

It was dark by the time the dirt under the wheels of the horse drawn carriage was replaced with the sound of cobblestone. Gilbert was awoken from his light slumber at the new sound, leaning to look out the small window. When he saw the darkness around them littered with lights from large houses, screaming of wealth, he didn't hesitate to kick his brother's shin, rousing him awake with a shout of pain.

They watched the buildings go by, the richness of the city was clear; far different then their own. Both could see why their Grandfather wanted this bond so badly.

Ludwig gasped when the carriage jerked to a stop suddenly, holding his hands to the seat tightly. Gilbert held a finger to his lips, the signal clear. The blonde took a deep breath, closing his eyes and straightening his back. They waited until the carriage door opened by their driver. Gilbert left first, jumping to the ground without any assistance. He turned to his brother, grabbing his hand and helping him down to the ground. He signaled the driver to go put it somewhere, which he complied.

The pair looked over the building they were in front of, a large mansion like building, its walls white and seemingly perfect in the moonlight. Only a few lights where in some of the many windows. Ludwig held in his shock at the difference between their homes, while his other sibling looked in recognition.

A tall blonde man revealed himself after opening the large doors of the mansion and the albino recognized him immediately, as the man seemed to not have aged a day. He nudged the teen next to him, grabbing his attention, and they made their way up the steps.

"Is that you, Gilbert?" the man said in a merry tenor, his accent thick. "You have grown so much since you last came."

He nodded in agreement. "And strangely enough, old man, you haven't changed at all," was his snarky remark.

The man's smile twitched, and he turned to the other. "And this would be young Ludwig, I presume."

Ludwig jerked his posture into the perfect line before bowing to the Frenchman. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He said with his voice deepened slightly. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

The man laughed. "No need to be so polite, Ludwig." He waited for the boy to straighten back before he extended his hand. "I am Francis Bonnefoy, the King of the eastern Kingdom. Now please, let us get out of the night, and I will show you to your rooms." He motioned with an elegant flick of his wrist for them to follow, and they made their way into the mansion.

The German pair removed their hats as the door closed and took in the sight of the large foyer, with two sets of curved stairs in front of them. The room was bright, candles high above them in a golden chandelier, lighting the marble walls and floors. The walls were high and covered with paintings, many of them of women or of nature. Or both. Large arches on each side of the room, leading to other large rooms.

Gilbert pulled his culture shocked brother behind them as they where lead to the upstairs while Francis went on about… something, the history of the house, maybe? It did have this old feeling to it. But it unnerved the German, because it was so quiet.

They walked past a room, and Gilbert stopped in his tracks. The two blonde looked at him in question. Now that the king had stopped talking, they were able to hear what had caught the silverette's attention.

"_Give me a reason, I gotta know._

_Do you feel it too?_

_Can't you see me here on the overload?_

_And this time I blame you"_

Francis smiled in a prideful way. "That would be mon ange," he said simply. "Madeline loves to sing, it's a shame she only does it when she thinks no one can hear."

Gilbert starred at the closed door the beautiful voice came from, the soft melodies seeming to sink into his soul.

"_Mm, looking out for you to hold my hand_

_It feels like I could fall._

_Now love me right like I know you can._

_We could lose it all."_

"Has she ever taken lessons?" Ludwig asked curiously. Francis shook his head.

"Non. She's always had a love for music, and when she was little she would sing to every song she heard." He laughed lightly. "I suppose when she sang so much, it just came naturally to her."

Gilbert took one last look at the door before forcing himself away from the enchanting voice, and their way to their temporary rooms continued.

Francis stopped in front of two closed doors at the end of the long hallway and turned to the brothers. "These are your rooms, it's up to you boys to which ones you would like." He bowed his head to them. "Dormez bien, les jeunes princes."

They bowed to him, in return. "Schlaf gut, Eure Hoheit."

They watched the blonde man walk back down the hallway before taking deep breaths and relaxing. Gilbert waved to Ludwig and bade him goodnight.

* * *

"Mon dieu, you cannot be still asleep!" Gilbert ignored the rude awakening, groaning and rolling so his back faced the voice. "You're acting just like my daughter, now wake up! She has made us breakfast!" More ignoring. "Alright, c'est vous qui l'avez chercher."

Cold air suddenly hit his body like a boulder, resulting in a loud shout. It wasn't a shriek; Gilbert is too manly to shriek like a girl. He definitely did not shriek.

Gilbert narrowed his red eyes at the bastard who dared…

The blonde king stood next to the bed, blanket in his arms and a smirk adorning his face. "Bonjour, mon petit lapin." He said, his voice dripping with amusement. "There is breakfast ma fille made in the private dining room, I'm sure you remember where it is from your last visit." And with that final note, the Frenchman left the room.

With a groan, the tired young adult sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He stood, stretching his arms up high above his head, exposing his naked body to anyone who might have walked in, or chose to look in the open window at that time. Sluggishly, he put on clothes and his boots and gloves. With one last stretch, he deemed himself awake enough to face the Eastern Kingdom.

On his way to the staircase, he paused at the same door as the night before. He was disappointed to find that the voice was no longer singing, but he continued on his trek none the less.

He paused yet again when he saw his brother, in casual clothing, starring at a large painting. "Whatcha looking at?" he called, his voice coming back to him off the walls. Just brother didn't even turn.

"Who is she?" he muttered. Gilbert looked at the picture, a tall thin woman with short blonde hair. Her dark blue eyes seemed to shine right out of the paint, and her long elegant indigo dress flowed around her.

The German smiled in recognition, standing next to his little brother. "That would be Jeanne, Francis' late wife." He informed.

"She's beautiful."

"Makes you think about what your future bride looks like, huh?" Gilbert let out a short chuckle, amused by his brother's blush.

"Knowing my luck," he muttered "she'll be the one stuck with all the ugly genes." At that, Gilbert burst out laughing.

"I hope you aren't laughing at my expense," a smooth voice came from behind them. They turned to see their host, giving them a kind smile. "Have you seen my daughter, by any chance? I haven't seen her since this morning." The two shook their heads. "She couldn't be off the property, within the walls in the very least. Ludwig," the blonde straightened up at his name. "Would you go look for her? We're the only ones who should be here, so a young woman wearing red shouldn't be too hard to identify." The teen nodded and left the older men.

Gilbert waited until he saw his brother step outside. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked nonchalantly, turning his gaze back to the large portrait.

The king chuckled lightly. "Well, it's simple really." He moved to stand next to the albino. "I was sent notice you two would be coming, but what was not mentioned was the reason."

Gilbert whipped his gaze to the man. "Was?" Getting a look from the corner of the royal's eyes, he calmed himself. "I thought you knew of our reasons."

The cheerful façade was suddenly dropped from the blonde's face. "If it has anything to do with my daughter, I refuse."

"Wha-"

Francis' eyes narrowed, but otherwise his serious expression did not change. "I know full well that my daughter is in the sights of many other kingdoms with princes, since there have been so few maidens born. Also, my kingdom is one of the richest, after your cousin Roderich's. If one's prince where to marry my precious daughter, since I have no other kin, once I pass, they will have power over my lands. But I refuse to let my daughter wed."

Moments passed in silence in the large entry way, Francis just starring at his wife.

Gilbert decided to take a risk and break the silence. "Why, if I may ask."

Francis didn't respond right away, first taking a deep breath. He turned suddenly, another smile that now seemed so forced onto his face. "Why don't you assist your brother in finding Madeline? She can be quite a handful, even at her age." And with that final comment that dripped with impatience, he left the same way he came.

The Germanic prince just starred the way the king left. "What the hell…?" he muttered. Sighing, he decided he would have to talk to the princess herself in order to convince the stubborn father. He took a brief look around the room before exiting the same way his brother did minutes ago.

Lucky for him, it was overcast in the eastern kingdom, which meant for him he could be outside longer than usual. He rubbed subconsciously as the remnants of the sunburn he had from his training with Ludwig. He looked around the large yard, neatly trimmed trees and bushes everywhere. They sure liked the artificial look of plants, didn't they?

Slowly running his sensitive eyes over the garden, he noticed a tree that was out of place. It was very tall, towering above everything else, and it was left to grow wildly. Curious, he made his way towards it.

As he got closer, Gilbert was able to see the strange shape of the leaves. They seemed to split off into three sections, divided once again thrice per part. They looked off, but natural at once.

He took a couple steps into the shade of the thick foliage, feeling the cool air crawl across his skin. He wasn't under the tree for more than a couple seconds before he heard a loud snap and a shout.

"L-Look out!"

He looked up, to see a flash of red, and a branch falling straight for his face.

* * *

_**Translations:**_

"_**Dormez bien, les jeunes princes." Sleep well, young princes.**_

"_**Schlaf gut, Eure Hoheit." Sleep well, your highness.**_

"**C'est vous qui l'avez chercher**_**." You asked for it. (Thank you very much, Meyurei 13 for fixing the french. 8D )**_

"_**Bonjour, mon petit lapin." Good morning, my little rabbit.**_

_**ma fille – my daughter.**_

* * *

**I got lazy with France's French… If anything is off in the French/German, please tell me. The only thing I have is a translator and two failed classes of French.**

**And the song Madeline was singing was bits from the song When Love Takes Over by David Guetta Feat. Kelly Rowland, the song the title it from.**


	3. A Meeting

"L-Look out!"

He looked up to see a flash of red, and a branch falling towards his face.

"Schiße!" Gilbert hissed as he jumped out of the way, hardly missing the branch that would have given him a very bad headache. He looked back into the trees and searched for the red again. "What the hell! You fucking…" his voice trailed when his eyes caught the red, and followed the flow to the person sitting in the safety of the leaves. Against the dark green foliage were long waves of gold and pale white skin. The sun took this moment to come out from behind the clouds and frame the silhouette through the gaps in the leaves.

"J-Je suis désolé!" the voice called again, soft and gentle, pleading for forgiveness, most definitely female. Gilbert cursed again and shielded his eyes from the sunlight, trying to get a better view of the female in the tree as she shifted around, wiggling her way from her perch and climbing down. With a light thud, she jumped down once she reached the lowest branches, landing gracefully on her feet. "Êtes-vous d'accord?" she asked, but her voice was lost to the German as his eyes flickered around her round face, taking in her wide violet eyes, thin rosy lips and flushed cheeks. His attention was evenly divided by her sparkling eyes, and her…

….Wow. Boobs. Her dress was cut perfectly for a taller man like himself to get a view down her cleavage, which were a fair size.

Don't blame him about where his eyes are drawn; he is a man after all.

"Sir?" Her voice, louder this time, brought him out of his staring. Her thin eyebrows furrowed with worry and a few strands of her blonde hair fall lightly over her eyes.

So cute!

Clearing his throat and mind, Gilbert gave her a confident smile. "I'm fine," he assured her. "Or, would you say…" he paused to think. "Je.. Je suis bien? Did I say it right?"

Her eyes widened slightly, before she giggled madly. "The accent is atrocious, but oui, you did say it right," she said in near perfect English, her accent only mild in her voice. "I am glad you are not hurt." Her smile faded, worry overcoming her features. "I'm so sorry, I could have seriously hurt you!"

Gilbert held up his hand, giving her a reassuring smile. "I am far too awesome to be hurt by a measly twig," he told her simply.

The maiden gave another quiet giggle, all worry wiped off her pretty features. "I see," she said with a sigh. "I'm glad you're fine. I wasn't paying attention when I should have been, but I was silly and tried to climb higher and I guess I stepped on a dead branch or something, or maybe I'm just gaining weight or-"

Gilbert raised his gloved hand to silence her once again. "I'm fine, birdie." He wanted to laugh at the blush that flashed onto her face, but he held back. "A pretty maiden like yourself shouldn't worry so much; it will turn you old."

Her blush darkened, but she giggled again regardless. She looked to the ground before looking at him again, opening her mouth to say something, but when their eyes locked her words seemed to vanish.

Damn.

"Your eyes…" she muttered. The albino tried to look away but a small hand reached out and kept his face turned to her. She gave him a shy smile. "Your eyes are beautiful."

Any and all thoughts, comebacks, mental images, everything, vanished from his mind as her words sunk in. He felt an unfamiliar heat rise in his cheeks; no one has ever said that about his eyes before.

Once again she giggled, seemingly at his reaction. He coughed, looking away bashfully, letting her hand drop from his face. He knew he should have said thank you, or compliment her own eyes, but before he could stop himself, he spat out, "Tch, red eyes aren't supposed to be _beautiful_. They're supposed to strike fear into people's hearts."

He didn't get a response, which worried him, knowing he said something stupid, but there was no way to take it back. With a little hesitation, Gilbert looked back at the girl. Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth open slightly. A moment passed, a moment full of him cursing himself mentally, before her shock expression washed away and was replaced with a smile. A beautiful, innocent smile. "Red is my favorite colour, though," she said with hidden confidence. "Because it gives off so much warmth in otherwise cold environments."

Gilbert turned his head to her, his expression softening. This girl was something different, and he was both intrigued and mystified. Her smile widened and his heart clenched.

"I am Madeline Bonnefoy," she greeted, grabbing hold of her long dress and bowing herself into a curtsy. "It is a pleasure meeting you."

When she straightened, Gilbert took hold of her hand and bowed himself leaving a chase kiss on her thin fingers. "I am Gilbert Beilschmidt," he paused to look up at her flushed face. He couldn't hold back his grin. "And it is an honour to meet you, Princess."

Her blush darkened as he straightened himself. "Y-You know?" she whimpered, her eyes glistening slightly. Panic ran through them both.

Before ether of them couple speak again, a third voice caught their attention. "East!" They both turned to see Ludwig running towards them. He slowed to a stop when he reached them, and his gaze traveled to the blonde girl. Almost immediately, he pushed away all evidence of being young away and bowed to her, his back straight and his demeanor now mature, clearly an attempt to impress her.

Gilbert watched as her eyes travel over his little brother, looking over every muscle that seemed to show through his clothes. He wanted to push his brother over when he saw her face redden slightly, clearly attracted to him.

His feelings made him freeze. He was jealous? Why would he be jealous? This girl was going to be courted by his brother, he should be happy. She seemed like a good girl, clearly sheltered from the harshness of life. She seemed smart and caring, gentle and optimistic. _Perfect for his little brother_…

"Will you be joining us, Sir. Gilbert?" Madeline's gentle voice thrust him from his deep thoughts. She and Ludwig where both looking at him, both with hopeful expressions, however with far different hopes. He cursed himself metally for the thousandth time, this time for not paying attention

_Bros before hoes, Gil. Whatever it is she's talking about…_ "I will politely decline, princess," the taller german said with a stiff voice, professional and proper. He caught differences between the blondes in front of him, a sad frown and a thankful smile. "Have a good time." He bowed his head and turned to walk back to the French castle. He took a step, before turning back to his brother with a grin. "Bruder, vergessen Sie nicht das _Pariser*_!"

Ludwig's face turned a bright red, only a few shades light of the princess' dress. "Verpiss dich!" he yelled as his brother ran off laughing loudly. Madeline tilted her head in confusion.

* * *

Gilbert returned to his room, silently closing the door behind him. He had to get his loins in check, he had to forget about that forgien beauty. "This is a diplomatic visit," he assured himself. "This is for Ludwig. The prince…" His mood immediately shot down. He sighed, leaned against the door and let himself slide down. "The prince, the one who's going to succeed when gramps dies…" _It should be me._

He shook his head quickly. No, he was happy that his little brother could get that honour. While his brother got to live as a king, which is what the blonde wanted, he himself got freedom. As soon as his brother took power, he can leave and lay with all the hot women he wanted.

A grin spread over his lips, the thought motivating him enough to stand back up. "That's right!" he cheered. "Sacrificing one beautiful girl, who is WAY too young for me and probably a huge prude, for thousands of hot woman who would be more than willing to open their legs for my five meters!" he laughed loudly. "That's right!"

He bounded to the window and looked out it, and once again, his mood was shot. He had the perfect view of Ludwig and Madeline walking around the gated yard, talking.

Ludwig stopped, his gaze seemingly on a bush of flowers. She also stopped, saying something. The prince made his way to the flowers and knelt down next to them, the princess following close behind. She leaned down, holding her hair back as she ran her fingers over the peddles of the large flowers.

Gilbert wanted to laugh when his brother said something, judging from the blush it was probably an attempt at complimenting the girl. Her laughter was heard all the way from the window. Ludwig's blush faded and he stood, his expression perplexed. She straightened, her face red from her laughter. Something she said made the teen blush once again, his hands flying to his face in embarrassment.

Gilbert's eyes narrowed when her flawless laughter reached him again. Her small hands reached up and took hold of his brother's hands and pulled them from his face. Seeing them standing there, next to a bush of large flowers (Lilies? Maybe that what explained the smell.) holding hands and talking in hushed tones… the whole thing made him depressed.

"They look good together," he muttered to himself. It took a moment for him to realize what he said, and he quickly shook his head violently. "Good for them! I'm happy alone, I don't need anyone except for the occasional chick who I'll never see again.

And here he was, back in the wonderful solitude.

With the perfect view of Madeline brushing something off of his brother's face, laughing and smiling brightly as his embarrassment, and pulling him towards something and gesturing to it, talking happily and seemingly having fun in the company of Ludwig.

Gilbert frowned, forcing his eyes away from the pair. "Who needs a constant companion?" he spat. "They only get in the way." Tugging the blinds closed, he threw himself onto the bed and began to do what he always does when he had this sanctuary of isolation.

"Reason one of why I am awesome…. Well, I'm awesome! " He let out a hollow chuckle. "Reason two of why I'm awesome, there is no girl who could forget my five meters. Kesesesese. Reason three!"

* * *

It's the sun, he reasoned. Too much sun made him tired. That's why he decided to stay in his room. He, unfortunately, ran out of things that made him awesome, finding himself repeating "Just cause" after every half assed reason. Because of this, his thoughts unknowingly were drawn back to the blonde haired maiden he met that morning.

"Stupid Gilbert," he muttered to himself. "She's just a chick." Yeah… the sun was his problem. Definetly the sun. "Ja, just a stupid girl, I've invaded many girls in my life already, why should this one bother me?"

A soft knock, barely audible to the disgruntled German, put his thoughts on hold. He sighed, sitting up from the comfortable bed for the second time that day. "Geben Sie!" before he could correct himself, the doorknob turned and the door was pushed open.

Madeline poked her head in. "Monsieur Gilbert?" she called with her quiet voice. "Are you feeling alright?"

Once again, instead of saying what he wanted to say, which was 'I am feeling alright, especially now that you are here,' he snarled, "Bah, I'm too awesome to feel unalright! I just like being alone, is all."

He instantly regretted saying that when he saw the hurt flash through her eyes. "Je comprond…" She muttered, looking to the floor. "Je voulais vous dire que- oh!" she blushed, catching herself when she saw the confused expression on the German's face. "Je suis désolé… I mean, I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you that dinner is ready."

He stared at her, unblinking, although he wanted to do more. "Danke," was all he could say. She nodded slowly, turning to leave. Something in him jolted him awake. "Warten!" He cursed himself again for using German, but she stopped, turning back to him. He swallowed the lump in his throat that was polite enough to show up suddenly. "You should speak French more often," he muttered, turning his face away. "It's… very pretty." He paused to look back at her. "E-Even though I can't understand it, you could insult me and it would still sound…" he let his words drift away, his mouth finally listening to him for once to shut up. The warmth returned to his cheeks, much to his distain.

Madeline stared at him, her face flushing slowly. She smiled and giggled. "Merci, Monsieur Gilbert. Je vais essayer de ma mieux. Now please hurry, before the poutine gets cold." Her smile widened slightly as she once again made a move to leave. This time, the Germanic prince did not stop her.

…What the hell is a poutine?

* * *

_**Translations:**_

_***"Bruder, vergessen Sie nicht das Pariser!" Brother, don't forget the condom! (Pariser is slang for condom, which I chose specifically because it makes apparently reference to french people. Direct translation, it means Paris.)**_

"_**Verpiss dich!" F- off! **_

"_**Geben Sie!" Enter/Come in!**_

"_**Je comprond…" I understand…**_

"_**Je suis désolé…" I am sorry…**_

"_**Danke," Thank you**_

"_**Warten!" Wait!**_

"_**Merci, Monsieur Gilbert. Je vais essayer de ma mieus." Thank you, Sir Gilbert. I will try my best.**_

_**Once again, if anything is wrong with the German or French, do tell me.**_

**_Thank you CanadaHetaAnon for correcting "Je suis bien" (Really, thank you, that was a silly mistake on my part.)_**

* * *

**I AM SO SORRY! This took so much longer then intended… I've been dealing with a good amount of things, and I just haven't been in the mood to write, you know? I'll write the next chapter uber long, okay? My way of asking for forgiveness.**


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